R ecent statements by New York attorney general Letitia James justifying her legal action against Heartbeat International, which she claims has defrauded and deceived women about abortion-pill reversal, contain assertions that require a response. Let’s address these assertions head-on, armed with facts and scientific evidence.

First, her claim that “abortions cannot be reversed” is misleading.

While surgical abortions are indeed irreversible once completed, chemical abortions — i.e., abortion pills — present a different scenario. Contrary to James’s assertion, studies have consistently shown that administering progesterone, a hormone naturally produced by the body to sustain pregnancy, can effectively counteract the effects of the abortion pill mifepristone.

Mifepristone, which counters progesterone, is typically the first drug administered in a two-step abortion-pill regimen; misoprostol, which induces uterine contractions to expel an aborted child, is the next stage. The administration of progesterone after a woman has taken mifepristone but before she has taken misoprostol, a process known as abortion-pill reversal (APR), offers a lifeline to women who experience regret after initiating a chemical abortion.

It’s crucial to recognize that the majority of abortions in the U.S. use an abortion-pill regimen. Estimates put the figure from 63 percent to as high as 80 percent. This means that a significant portion of women seeking abortions could potentially benefit from access to information about abortion-pill reversal. Dismissing this option outright denies them the ability to make fully informed decisions about their reproductive health.

In addition, data attest to the viability of abortion-pill reversal. Studies have shown that when women undergo APR shortly after ingesting the first abortion pill, mifepristone, they have a remarkable two-out-of-three chance of successfully continuing their pregnancies. This statistic underscores the importance of preserving access to information and resources related to APR.

Attorney General James also emphasized that “reproductive healthcare decisions are yours and yours alone.” This is true in New York. But James’s actions raise questions about her stance on censoring information about abortion-pill reversal. If she truly believes that decisions regarding reproductive health are indeed individual prerogatives, then shouldn’t women have access to all available options, including APR? Instead, James wants to prevent women from accessing such information at all by classifying it as “misinformation.” James is putting her abortion agenda ahead of women’s health. That must end. Women deserve better than politicians determining what information they can and cannot access.

Women often discover information about abortion-pill reversal when seeking answers online, searching for phrases like “Can I reverse my abortion?” This indicates a genuine demand for such resources on the part of women navigating complex decisions about their pregnancies. Restricting access to this life-saving information would intentionally deprive women of agency and of the ability to make fully informed choices.

Statistics from the Abortion Pill Rescue Network show that over 5,000 women have undergone successful abortion-pill reversals. These are not just numbers. They represent real women who were empowered to reassess their abortion decisions and pursue the outcome that aligned with their desires and circumstances. Writing for National Review, Alexandra DeSanctis told some of their stories.

It’s important to combat the lies surrounding abortion-pill reversal. Abortion proponents inaccurately attack the studies that support it while offering faulty ones of their own. Reliable evidence supports the efficacy of abortion-pill reversal and underscores its importance in providing women with all the information they seek when trying to continue their pregnancies.

Upholding the right to access information about APR is not about promoting one choice over another. It is, rather, about ensuring that women have the knowledge and power to make decisions that are truly their own. If Attorney General James gets her way, women will be denied this right.